Christmas Village

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!  Christmastime’s a-comin’, Christmastime’s a-comin’, Christmastime’s a-comin’, and I know I’m goin’ home!  Can you just see kids playing and riding sleds down the hills in this village?  Probably in the morning, because this scene is nighttime.

I’ve been wanting to make a village scene for some time.  I hadn’t used my Churches dies at all and I’ve had them for a year.  While watching YouTube make-it videos, I ran across a video that Nina Marie, designer for Simon Says Stamp, just did to make a card with a holiday village scene.  I didn’t have the items she used, but that was okay.  I wanted to use what I had.  To watch Nina’s video, here’s a link. 

Click on the photo to link to Nina’s blog.

Okay!  I should have done the step I’m about to show you vice versa, but when you’re figuring out a creation, you learn as you go.  I should have trimmed out my two panels, THEN cut a circle in one of them.  But I cut the circle first, as you can see.

• 80# Neenah Crest Solar White Cardstock, trimmed to 4.25 x 5.50 inches
• Creative Memories Cutting System, Circles – Use whatever circle cutter you have.
• Post-It Tape

• Cuttlebug Embossing and Die Cutting Machine
• Lawn Fawn Large Stitched Rectangle Die Set – I used the 4.25 x 5.50 inches die 
• 80# Neenah Crest Solar White Cardstock – Cut a panel to go behind the circle.

Ink the background panel to make a night sky.

• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad, Faded Jeans
• Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool

Here’s another thing I had to learn.  When I cut my circle, I thought the circle I cut was as large as I could get with my tools.  It wasn’t large enough, so I pulled the tools out again and looked further.  After two tries, I got the size circle I needed.  Make it easier on yourself by making as large a circle as you can get on your paper.

Then I die cut the hills, the buildings and the trees.  I poked out the little pieces with this handy tool.

• Simon Says Stamp Stitched Slopes and Hills
• Simon Says Stamp Village
• Simon Says Stamp Churches
• 80# Neenah Crest Solar White Cardstock 
• Spellbinder’s Tool-N-One

Click on photo to link.

Click on photo to link.

Click on photo to link.

 

Next, I laid out the landscape to see what I could do with the buildings and trees.  This would be a pretty moonscape in light yellow, wouldn’t it?  I’ll keep that in mind for another card.  🙂

It was now time to color the components and make the light and dark window panes that would be glued behind the windows.  I used Copics on the buildings and trees with no skill…ha! and distress markers on the light and dark background for the windows and the cross.  Glaze pens were used for the stained glass church window panes.  

• Copic Markers
• Tim Holtz Distress Markers, Squeezed Lemonade and Black Soot
• Glaze Pens, asst.
• Ranger Multi Medium Matte Glue 

The background paper and card base DO NOT make a standard-sized card.  

• Lawn Fawn 6 x 6 inch Paper Pad, Let’s Polka in the Dark, trimmed to 4.75 x 6.0 inches   
• 110# Neenah Crest Solar White Cardstock, cut to 6.0 x 9.50 inches and folded in half
• Martha Stewart Score Board with Bone Folder
• Scrapbook Adhesive E-Z Runner Tape – Use this to adhere any surface large enough
• Scotch Mounting Tape – Use this to add lift to any component you need raised.

For embellishments I used small stamps made for planners for the holly, candy canes and star.  I drew the Christmas lights, window decorations and wreath on the church.

• VersaFine Black Ink Pad for stamping
• Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust Meteor Gel Pens

For the sentiment, I wanted a banner for Merry Christmas and to stamp directly onto the card with another phrase.  I don’t have a set of dies for this stamp set, so I fussy cut the banner.  It was mounted on foam tape for dimension.

• Hero Arts CL721 Christmas Banners Stamp Set
• MISTI Stamping Tool
• VersaFine Black Ink Pad
• Memento Lady Bug Ink Pad for Merry Christmas
• Scissors
• Scotch Mounting Tape

 

Would you believe that I have saved little dots from word die white cuttings so I could use them as snow?  Call me crazy, but I love how they look.  I picked them up with my handy tool. 

• Neenah Crest Solar White dot scraps
• Ranger Multi Medium Matte Glue 
• Spellbinder’s Tool-N-One

I wanted to give dimension to the snow, so I used Nuvo Drops by squeezing continuously across the areas I wanted.  I used the snow white first, then I added the Nuvo Drops that had glitter.  The glitter drops I have look clear, so it didn’t make good snow on its own.

• Nuvo Crystal Drops Gloss White
• Nuvo Crystal Glitter Drops White Blizzard 

This was a BIG project.  I hope whoever receives this card for Christmas doesn’t throw it into the trash with all the other Christmas clutter after the holiday.  I really like Nina Marie’s idea with the circle cut out of the white card stock and backed by the colored background.  Christmastime’s a-comin’, so I’ve got to get the move on!

Blessings,

Tricia Ann

CHALLENGES ENTERED

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Shimmer and Shine   http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/mondaychallenge/

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Pop It Up   http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/

Word Art Wednesday Challenge #300-#301 Anything Goes  http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com/